People drove for hundreds of miles to join the celebration.

His attributes were many, but I couldn’t help but wonder whether something in particular about this man of only 23 years sparked this incredible outpouring of love and admiration.

What was it about the way that he lived his life that affected so many people, of all ages and walks of life, so deeply?

This month, my lessons started when I contracted an illness that left me no choice but to abandon all plans and get into bed.

The symptoms were intense, and my suggestion to patients to find a place of balance and breathe when they are dealing with challenging illnesses, was now appropriate for me.

At the spur of the moment, I decided to join a yoga class taught by a wonderful man with a huge heart. The subject was love, and I felt drawn to immersing myself in this experience for a few hours.

While I am usually quite shy in group settings, I tried to stretch myself by turning sideways to almost face the group rather than facing forward on my mat.

However, I quickly found myself stretched further when we were asked to stand in two lines facing each other and look into each other’s eyes.

Most of us do not consider this question unless death is imminent.

However, on a recent visit to see my dad, my dad and I did just that.

My dad is a healthy 82 year old man with a happy and active life. He plays a hard game of tennis 3-4 times each week, has a busy social schedule, is planning international vacations and does not have any reason to think that he will die soon.

Compassion, the commitment to strive to alleviate the suffering of others, is a fundamental component of effective healthcare.

This may appear to be obvious, but our physician training programs do not often prioritize the study and application of compassionate medical care. In addition, our hospital and office settings do not foster compassion.